We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Rasmussen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
We want people to remember that motherhood is the perfect time to make a more meaningful commitment to your health. Motherhood can and should be about health, vitality and a commitment to honoring our bodies and holistic health in this next life chapter.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I have dipped into several different careers in different countries and it’s been a wild ride! I originally got my degree in Spanish and Journalism and moved to Spain after college to teach English in bilingual schools. I eventually moved to NYC and did a masters in international education development to do non-profit NGO work and worked in this field for several years. Then I moved to Copenhagen Denmark where I worked in various corporate PR and Branding roles. Everything changed for me once I had my kids abroad. There was a huge shift in my priorities, interests and how I wanted to take care of myself and my family. I left the corporate world and studied integrative health at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and started 1:1 health coaching. Meanwhile I attended several moms wellness retreats in Ibiza and felt the pull to create my own transformative spaces for moms who want to prioritize health and wellbeing. I got started on this project facilitating moms retreats in Spain and then ended up moving to California where I teamed up with my sister in law Carly to finally launch what is now WellAway! It was a long time coming.

What I love so much about our brand is that WellAway is built by moms who believe in big opportunities for growth in motherhood. It’s a huge life transition that makes us question our values and priorities. As a single mom of two boys ages 4 and 6, I truly believe it when i say moms can do hard things, evolve and re-build if we need to!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since we live in the Bay Area in San Francisco and host most of our WellAways in the North Bay in Sonoma/Napa area there is so much to do! It would definitely be a mix of nature, wellness, food and spa activities. We would go hiking in Mill Valley, hit the SF botanical gardens and lots of walking at the iconic marina green and Chrissy Field in SF. I’m a huge coffee lover so we would hit my favorite coffee spots in my area which are Wrecking Ball and Revielle in SF. I love a good spa wellness city escape at my go-to spots in Napa and Sonoma which are Stanley Ranch and McArthur Place for all things food, wellness, spa and beautifully curated spaces.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
WellAway was inspired by a Swiss woman named Claudia Spahr and her company called Holy Mama which is a wellness retreat organization for women at all stages of motherhood. She has run retreats in Ibiza, Morocco and Bali for over ten years She also trains women to run their own wellness focused retreats for moms all over the world. I went on several of her retreats in Ibiza and when I met her I fell in love with the concept and she quickly became my friend and mentor. Heading to Ibiza anytime soon? You must meet Claudia who is now running bespoke retreats for mothers and female entrepreneurs.

Website: www.wellawayretreats.com

Instagram: @wellawayretreats.com

Image Credits
I have rights and permission for the photos I added here.

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